The Latest News from OACS Ireland
2023 – Pregnancy Prevention Programme for Topiramate
We are happy to inform you, due to an agreement between European Medicines Agency (EMA) and Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) healthcare professionals will be sent a letter to inform them of the implementation of Pregnancy Prevention Programme for those…
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The eighth annual #MedSafetyWeek
This years #MedSafetyWeek – is an annual global campaign which aims to highlight the importance of reporting suspected side effects and safety issues resulting from a person’s medication. The Health Products Regulatory Authority are seeking support for the eighth annual #MedSafetyWeek campaign,…
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#BUDGET2024, OACS Ireland and the Victims of EPILIM (Sodium Valproate) Scandal
OACS Ireland Statement Date: 11th October 2023 Although some measures of Budget 2024 are welcomed, we are frustrated to see that Minister Donohue again has failed to provide an adequate level of means and allowances by which the most vulnerable…
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Dear Healthcare Professional communication issued by the HPRA on “fathers exposure” to EPILIM (Sodium Valproate).
Last Updated: Wed, 04/10/2023 – 11:00 Further to our recent updates regarding a European review of data on the potential risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorders, in children fathered by men taking EPILIM (sodium valproate) – containing medicines in…
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Neurodevelopmental outcomes in children and adults with Fetal Valproate Spectrum Disorder: A contribution from the ConcePTION project.
Introduction: OACS Ireland are delighted to welcome a key paper written by M. Bluett-Duncan, co-written by Rebecca Bromley and other health care professionals, along with input from patient groups in Ireland, UK and New Zealand. It is the largest study…
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Pregnancy Prevention Programme to be introduced for Anti-seizure medication Topiramate (Topamax)
Following a review of three recent studies, the European Medicines Agency’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) has recommended that a Pregnancy Prevention Programme (PPP) be introduced around the use of the Anti-Seizure Medication Topiramate (Topamax). Two of these studies suggest…
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Update on risks associated with paternal exposure to Sodium Valproate (Epilim).
Last Updated: Mon, 21/08/2023. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has issued an update on its ongoing review of data on the potential risk of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) in children conceived by fathers taking sodium valproate (Epilim). In May of this year,…
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OACS Ireland invited to speak at the 34th Annual ENTIS Conference 2023
OACS Ireland Chairperson Karen Keely has been invited to speak at the 34th Annual ENTIS Conference which is being held at the Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin, Ireland from the 31st of August 2023 and ends on the 2nd of…
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File on Four (the epilepsy scandal)
BBC File on Four have published a powerful documentary which features women and men in the UK who were prescribed Sodium Valproate (Epilim). Sodium Valproate is being described by experts as a bigger scandal than Thalidomide. Recently it has been…
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Statement from OACS Ireland and Epilepsy Ireland on cabinet approval for non-statutory inquiry into historical licensing and prescribing of Sodium Valproate.
11th July 2023. OACS Ireland and Epilepsy Ireland welcome today’s official approval from cabinet to establish an inquiry into the historical licensing and prescribing of Sodium Valproate in Ireland. Both organisations have campaigned for the establishment of an inquiry since…
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Links to Website Resources
- OACS Facebook Group
- OACS YouTube Channel
- OACS UK Charity
- Epilepsy Ireland
- Irish Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register
- Irish Family Planning Association
- Birth Control (HSE Website)
- Valproate (Epilim) Patient Booklet (HPRA)
- EMA – Information & reviews on Valproate
- Valproate Information(HSE Website)
- Meeting highlights from PRAC
Download Resources
- OACS Ireland Leaflet
- National Conference on the Consequences of Sodium Valproate
- Joint Committee on Health Report on Foetal Anti-Convulsant Syndrome
- Valproate (Epilim) is a medicine licensed in Ireland to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder
- 2019 Neurology Referral Specialist
- HSE Report on prenatal exposure
- 2018 Sodium Valproate who knew what and when
- 2019 Videos from the National Conference on Sodium Valproate
- 2018 FACS Forum welcomes HSE’s plans to contact patients directly regarding Sodium Valproate
- 2019 Study identifies the risk of malformations associated with prenatal exposure to 10 epilepsy drugs
Videos / Media
OACS Ireland: The Story So Far
Public Hearing on Valproate
Epilim (Sodium Valproate): For Patients*
Epilim (Sodium Valproate): For Hospital Doctors*
Epilim (Sodium Valproate): For Neurologists & Psychiatrists*
Epilim (Sodium Valproate): For GPs*
*The Medication Safety Minute Team in conjunction with Dr Colin Doherty, Epileptologist in St. James’s Hospital (SJH), have produced a series of 4 videos to highlight the risks associated with sodium valproate medicines if taken during pregnancy. Each of the videos highlights key points in relation to the management of the issue from a different perspective − that of the patient, the hospital doctor, the specialist (neurologist or psychiatrist), and the GP, respectively. These videos were released during National Epilepsy Week which aims to raise awareness Epilim (Sodium Valproate) in pregnancy.